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O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Play trailer Poster for O Brother, Where Art Thou? PG-13 2000 1h 46m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
78% Tomatometer 156 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) is having difficulty adjusting to his hard-labor sentence in Mississippi. He scams his way off the chain gang with simple Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and maladjusted Pete (John Turturro), then the trio sets out to pursue freedom and the promise of a fortune in buried treasure. With nothing to lose and still in shackles, their hasty run takes them on an incredible journey of awesome experiences and colorful characters.

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O Brother, Where Art Thou?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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Critics Consensus

Though not as good as Coen brothers' classics, the delightfully loopy O Brother, Where Art Thou? is still a lot of fun.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/26/2010
4/5
Teens might enjoy this offbeat Odyssey adaptation. Go to Full Review
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 11/07/2007
After making what are still probably their two best features, the Coen brothers came up with their worst, a piece of pop nihilism. Go to Full Review
Geoff Andrew Time Out 01/26/2006
Great dialogue, superb 'Scope camerawork from Roger Deakins, and a genuinely wondrous deus ex machina are among the delights. Go to Full Review
Linda Cook Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) Feb 10
3/4
How this ties in to the Odyssey, I don't know. I don't have time to care ... I have to go listen to the soundtrack again. Go to Full Review
Conor Bryce Film Ireland Magazine 03/24/2025
This eccentric, moonshine-soaked ode to old-timey joy feels like home to me. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 12/24/2023
5/5
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is probably not the first film that one thinks of when it comes to George Clooney or the Coen brothers but it's still a pretty fun satire and masterpiece over 23 years later. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Chris B @Papa13070 1d The Coen Brothers have done it again. Three depression era convicts(George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson)escape a Mississippi chain gang and head off in search of buried treasure that will fund their new lives. Along the way, they sing on the radio and become much sought after stars as well as escapees. Great laughs and a soundtrack that is a lesson/introduction to bluegrass music. Clooney is outstanding as the fast talking, quick witted Ulysses Everett McGill. Holly Hunter plays his estranged wife. Turturro and Nelson are flawless stumblebums. Also in the cast are John Goodman and Charles Durning. Dan Tyminski provides the singing voice for George Clooney on "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow", the Soggy Bottom Boys song that serves as a template for the bluegrass laden soundtrack that also features Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley, The Whites, and John Hartford. Toe tapping, knee slapping fun for the whole family. You'll be surprised with how relaxed and funny this movie is. See more Ben W @Username618 2d Too many variables changed. So. The Coen bros were my favourites growing up- swear by. I then... had to account for myself. Couldn't. Swear at. If I'm being serious, and it's a difficult thought to express... I view their work less as a completed work, more as their telling us how they've been doing, suffused with what they've been reading; aaaand. I just find the contempt a bit stifling, sorry. Oeuvre. Making crime novels into film- Dashiell Hammet (Glass Key/ Miller's Crossing), Raymond Chandler (Long Goodbye/Big Lebowski), James M Cain (Postman always.../Man who was not...) , ... Fargo, Blood Simple. Making novels ?- True Grit; No Country for Old Men. Inside Llelwyn Davis, O Brother. A serious man. Barton Fink. Trying to be funny / screwball ? comedy- and just about succeeding; Hudsucker Proxy , Raising Arizona. And failing miserably: The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty, Burn After Reading. See more Owen K. @NCR23 May 14 A perfect adventure and a timeless classic that truly encapsulates the spirit of the south, the goods and the bads. See more Levi J @Lev77 Mar 31 Funny, witty, great adaptation of "The Odyssey" from the Coen brothers! See more Micah S. @RT17262077 Mar 28 Raw comedic storytelling mixed with an unbeatable setting that really incapsulates the time frame and the energy of this part of American history. The slapstick comedy of this movie manages to be abundant but not dull. Character archetypes manage to stay true throughout the story and the plot manages to stay interesting throughout the whole film. See more Troy R @Grim16 Feb 15 A classic combo. Good story with a hero's journey type path, iconic music, good actors, and great characters. Even the small characters all have there own breath to become something and be beloved for this silliness. See more Read all reviews
O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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Movie Info

Synopsis Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) is having difficulty adjusting to his hard-labor sentence in Mississippi. He scams his way off the chain gang with simple Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and maladjusted Pete (John Turturro), then the trio sets out to pursue freedom and the promise of a fortune in buried treasure. With nothing to lose and still in shackles, their hasty run takes them on an incredible journey of awesome experiences and colorful characters.
Director
Joel Coen
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures, Universal Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Production Co
Mike Zoss Productions, Working Title Films, Touchstone Pictures, Universal Pictures, Le Studio Canal +, Buena Vista Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Violence|Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 22, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 13, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$45.5M
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)